Why Go Green?

If you look at the issues regarding climate change and environmental conservation today, it is easy to get overwhelmed.  While it helps to look at the big picture in understanding why we need to go green, it is actually simple to start making a difference today. Every little bit that you reduce, recycle or re-use has a immediate positive impact in our lives.

Why Go Green?

Let me show you some numbers I got off the internet and other print media. This will help you understand what the numbers mean.

1. 3 trillion is the number of gallons of water the USA would save if every household invested in water-saving appliances. This amounts to $18 billion US dollars saved a year.
2. 64 million tons of material was prevented from reaching the landfills by recycling and composting in 1999 in the USA alone.
3. 113,200 is the average number of aluminum cans recycled each minute of each day.
4. 137 is the number of  plants, animals or insect species lost every day due to deforestation.
5. 1.5 arces is the area of rainforest lost every second due to land development and deforestation.
6. 61 per cent is the percentage of women’s lipstick found to contain lead tested from a sample of 30 lipsticks by a campaign for safe cosmetics.
7. 60 per cent is the reduction of children with developmental problems born in China after a coal-burning powerplant was closed in 2006.
8. 40 per cent is the percentage of energy saved by recycling newsprint compared to using new materials.
9. 2.5 per cent is the percentage of carbon dioxide emissions produced by air travel, making it the largest transportation related producer of greenhouse gases.
10. 36 is the number of states in the USA anticipating local or statewide water shortage by 2013.

Just some figures to help you get started on going green. Choose to reduce, recycle and re-use rather than going for convenience. Going green is important!

Green Resorts

Many of our visitors to Sabah come to see our natural heritages, trek in our lush green jungles, unpolluted islands and beaches, dive in our clear waters, and visit the man of the jungle, the orang utans. Eco-tourism and international visitors bring in hard currency to the country, impressions plays an important role when they tell their friends and family about the adventures they have in Sabah, Borneo.

The resorts that we have here are beautiful and provide world class amenities to their guests. So what are
they doing to promote conservation in the management of their resorts? Many hotels have lush vegetation on their premises, trees, creeper plants, scrubs, hedges, and well kept grass. It is a welcomed experience to stroll through a beautifully landscaped resort.

Are they doing enough?
Are any of our resorts certified eco-friendly? Is there even such a rating, and should it be just as important
as how many stars a resort rate? How stringent are the controls the management implement?

Next time you visit a resort, you can ask them about their green initiatives. If their guests ask them often
enough, it sends the message that Going Green matters, and leads to heightened awareness. It is not just a matter of how beautiful and comfortable the resort is, it’s about sustainability.

• Solid Waste Management
• Energy-efficiency
• Water Conservation and Preservation
• Employee Education
• Sewage Treatment Plant

Eco-tourism should be promoted along with eco-friendly hotels and resorts. Not just in resorts, every lodging house and motels should have a green initiative. Reduce, Recycle & Reuse. It matters to us, consumers, tourists and businesses. When consumers and businesses lead the way, the rest of the society will stop and take a look at how much waste they are generating. The environment is our universal responsibility. It starts with us.